Donald Trump's Abortion Ban Would Affect Minority Women The Most & Make America Hurt Again

Donald Trump's comments on abortion are unbelievable. And his proposal that the procedure should be made illegal and that women should be punished for having it is just terrible. It would create injustice for every woman in America, but it's even worse than you realize. That's because Trump's abortion ban wouldn't affect every woman equally, assuming that abortion trends continue as they do today. The same way that America's discriminatory drug laws have unfairly targeted black men, such a ban would likely send a disproportionate number of black women to prison, furthering our country's problem of mass incarceration of minority citizens.

The reasons for the disparities in abortion rates are many, according to experts. Christine Dehlendorf, a professor who specializes in reproductive health research at the University of California, San Francisco tells The Atlantic that it's about inequality — particularly money. "Structural determinants" like income inequality, racism, and differences in opportunity all play a role.

These reasons and probably more could explain the difference in the abortion rate (which actually has decreased on the whole in recent years). But no matter the reason, making abortions illegal is not the answer (as some black pro-life groups argue), and imprisoning women for having the procedure would be reprehensible. Mass incarceration has already devastated communities around the country, and adding to the prison population will not help anything.

In a time in which past injustices are finally being discussed in the media and on the campaign trail thanks to organizations like Black Lives Matter, it's important to condemn Trump's rhetoric against both women and minorities. In this case, his comments intersect to specifically hurt minority women — a group that simply can't afford to be maligned any more.